Matt Costa @ Factory Theatre,Sydney (04/04/08)

Mon 7th Apr, 2008 in Gig Reviews

CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTOS FROM MATT COSTA’S SYDNEY SHOW.

Summer is well and truly over when you find yourself finding warmth in the melodies of a Melbournian duo on a decidedly cold Friday evening. Acoustic guitar is the flavour of the night as Dash and Will took the stage, playing to a familiar crowd and venue with their offerings. Their smart and at times cheeky melodies provided an encouraging insight into the Australian folk scene, as edgy yet simple harmonies were lapped up by the appreciative crowd.

Having sampled the tunes of Matt Costa during his pleasing set supporting Jack Johnson earlier last month, I looked forward to the well-balanced blues and pop music with his performance at the Factory Theatre. Opening with the effortless Yellow Taxi, he eased the crowd into the old acoustic number, before launching into Emergency Call from his latest record, providing an upbeat contrast which stirred the crowd into action.

Categorically speaking, Matt Costa doesn’t fall into any fixed genre. Sweet Rose has you compelled to square-dance alongside its country twang. Vienna’s dreamy folk melody gave one of few moments of brilliance in the set, embodying that lazy rain-drizzled morning spent in bed. Others like Behind The Moon traced that fine line between pop and alternate-country, while Sunshine and the highlight Mr Pitiful got the whole crowd got cheering with its sing-along qualities. The latter allowed a lovely permeation of Beatles -esque sound into the venue, and was the main crowd pleaser of the night.

The Ballad of Miss Kate showcased the awesome blues potential of his aural catalogue, and was reminiscent of TV Gods, a stand-out on his first EP record. I had hoped for a greater bluesy vibe to the show, which played on the strengths of his earlier songs, especially considering the sweetly-delivered guitar licks of his lead guitarist in Vienna. But I was left feeling a little jilted by the numerous country-laden and simplistic pop tracks, where it was easily digestible at best. Apart from a few highlights, the set did little to utilise the suddenly expansive space of the otherwise excellent Factory Theatre.

The guitar-heavy sound of Sweet Thursday drowned out the crucial acoustics that drove the song, reducing it to a noise-laden rendition of what was otherwise a pretty swell tune. Indeed, this seemed to be the problem throughout most of the night, as the bass and lead guitarist of his band drowned out many of the songs with Matt’s voice acting as mere back-up.

Cold December followed a spiel about beaches in December and escaping bluebottles, as we were offered small glimpses into the nice guy persona of Matt Costa. He comes off as a perfectly lovely guy, but therein lies the problem – he comes across so nicely that he traces the boundaries of ordinary.

The encore proved a better glimpse into the potential of Matt Costa as a live performer, with the stripped-back acoustics of Astair providing one of possibly three shining features of the set. Lilacs proved similarly effective, while a continued request for Whiskey and Wine was heeded with appreciative results, musicianship and character finally shining through despite over an hour on stage.

The popularity of Matt Costa is debatable, though not ill-placed, as one might so readily believe. That said; the show tonight would be strictly for fans only. Intrigued newcomers might do well to sample his music firsthand via record and MP3 before delving into a live rendition.